146 7'hat bodily health isnot much tobe efteemed. For what is this, but tohaue a faire skinne,and fickehart, a beautiful! oudide, full and faire, and within, a defperate dropue,orvnrecouerable pleurifie? likevino an apple,which is faire to the eie,and rotten at the core. But fo long as wee caris aboutwith vs the old man,and dwel in there houles of day,weare continually fubiea to thefe difeafesofthefoule, and will we nil! we, we (hall often wound our confciences, and make our felues ficke with finne ; the which our bodilie health is fo far offfrom helping and curing, thatoftentimes it occafioneth,and moll commonly increafeth there fpiritu- ?ufguam pelas all difeafes ; in regard whereofone faith,a ficke mind dwel- quamiu faro leth no where worfe then in a found bodie. And therefore eorpore, æger a_ atimuohabitat. little caufe hauewe to bragge ofthisbodily health, being in Petrarch.lib. it felfe vaine, fraile and itnperfe 1, and betides alwaies ac- r.Dial.4. companied with the foules fickneffe, which is fodangerous and grieuous, that nothing can cure it but the blood of Chrifl. 4.Sec` .5. But as this bodily health is not much to be efleemed, in The manifold refpe6l that it bringeth vetovs littlegood ; fo much leffe in milswhich vfi. regard,thatthrough our corruption, it is often thecaufe of ally accompanie muchhurt; for who feethnot that where there is the moll bodilyheal'''. healthfull bodie,there commonly is the fickefl foule? who feethnot great difference betweene them, who lie in their fickebeds, and thole whole health is neuer impairedwith any dangerous fickneffe? Yea, who findeth notgreat diffi- militudebetweenehimfelfebeing ficke,and himfelfeinioy- ingperfedl health ? how deuout he is then, how fearefull to offendGod,howwatchfull oiler his waies, how readiehe is tocal himfeifto a reckoning, that hemay let things f}raight berweeneGodand himfelfe. And contrariwife,hownegli- gent hee isnow, howhard harted and carnally fecure, put- tingaway from him the euill day, and together with it the dayofrepentance ; prefuming vpon hishealth and flrength, andthinking that hemay haue time enough hereafter to re- pent,andmake euenhis reckonings withGod. Whereby it appeareth,that the healthofthe bodie, isoftentimes a caufe ofthe foules fickneffe; euen as contrariwife,the bodies fick- ateffeis oftenameanesofthe foulcsrecouerie, and feldome (hall
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